The NBA is back in our lives after the All-Star break, and tonight (between Friday and Saturday) Danny Avdia will return to play. Washington’s Israeli forward will meet the Knicks in an important game towards the last third of the season, with Washington in tenth place. The Wizards have a 31:29 record and are only half a game away from eighth place.
- 02:00 on 5SPORT: Washington hosts New York
Avdia’s team can reach the play-in, where tenth place meets ninth for one game and the winner meets the loser from the game between seventh and eighth place. Washington has a difficult game schedule waiting for them, and they will try to beat the Knicks, who are in sixth place.
Avdia himself was in good form before the offseason with 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game in the 12 games since the Hachimura trade. He went down to the bench in favor of Corey Kispert and is expected to start today on the bench as well.
Avdia himself showed signs of slowing down before the break itself, hitting 7 of his 22 shots in the last three games (compared to 15.3 points per game on 50.5% from the field before). Now he meets the Knicks, a team against which he scored 14 points with 7 rebounds in the last game.
Avdia’s development is one of the main issues for the rest of Washington’s season, at least according to “NBA.COM“. “Abadiah made a big step in the last games and uses his length, he is a smart player who plays very good basketball. His confidence has increased and the break may have a positive effect on him,” it said.
Washington has an easier schedule than Toronto and Chicago, its direct rivals, and the team itself could reach eighth place. For that they will also have to beat the Knicks, who won their last three games before the break and are in the race for the fifth place in the East along with Brooklyn and Miami.